The Burning Soul: A Charlie Parker Thriller

Very good but a little longConnolly has developed a good vehicle in Charlie Parker for his investigation into social themes.

Honestly I did not think this was going to be anywhere close to as good as it was. This book had everything, the plot, the criminal underworld, the kidnapping, the psychological aspects. I mean this had it all. This was by far the best work in the series so far! I would give six stars if I could. The ending will throw you for a loop like you have never experienced!

I remain convinced that John Connolly is one of the elite story tellers and thriller writers in literature today. His work with the Charlie Parker novels reflects great plotting, deep intense characterizations, flawed heroes, psychological entanglements and moral complexities, and often, a tasting of the paranormal, if not, supernatural. Connolly is much more than a pulp writer hurrying to produce several novels every year. Instead, he is a master wordsmith, an intelligent manipulator of prose and language designed to affect the reader's sensitivities both in context and in presentation; indeed, I often find myself rereading a paragraph or a description of a place or person that is so lyrical as to demand a second reading."The Burning Soul" is more of a straight and complex thriller/mystery than many of the Parker books that contain dark, brooding, supernatural atmosphere. Parker is called in to help investigate a client who settled in Pastor's Bay, Maine after serving a lengthy prison sentence for assisting in the rape and murder of a young teen age girl when he himself was a teen. Having been presented with a new identity as Randall Haight upon his release, he has lived a quiet life avoiding any mention of his past until suddenly he begins receiving anonymous letters referring to his ugly past and the torment continues as he envisions possible blackmail or exposure which would destroy his new life. Randall is adament about protecting his past and refusing to involve or notify the police since they will instantly consider him a suspect and Charlie is uncomfortable with the belief that Haight is telling some lies and hiding something amidst his story. Complicating matters is the fact that another teenage girl has suddenly disappeared right in Pastor,s Bay and the local police and FBI agents are squeezing every lead possible to find her alive.This case soon thrusts Charlie Parker into a morally complex and morally ambiguous dilemma. Charlie lost his wife and daughter to a depraved killer yeqrs ago and is still "haunted" by their ghosts or shades. He now has been enlisted to assist a man who once killed a teenage girl while wondering if he could be the kidnapper of the currently missing girl. What is his moral obligation in this complex psychological quagmire? How much should he share with the authorities about his client and should he "force" his client to come clean with the police in the hopes of accellerating the search for the missing girl? Who among the locals know of Randall's past and what is their purpose in sending him the tormenting letters along with some cryptic text messages to Charlie's cell phone?"The Burning Soul" can be termed a psychological thriller and is certainly a mystery woven within an enigma. Louis and Angel have small roles in this one but regrettably, little direct interaction with Parker. Charlie is less confident and more filled with self-doubt while moping a bit more than usual. And he has managed to anger the local police, old nemesis Gordon Walsh from the state CID, and special agent Robert Engel from the FBI's Organized Crime Section. Why are all these legal authorites aligned against Parker and why is the FBI's Organized Crime team interested in a kidnapping in a tiny burg in Maine? All is answered effectively in a tightly written page-turning climax that will leave some readers breathless. This book and this series is highly recommended.

I have enjoyed every book that John Connolly has written. Some more exciting than others but not a bad one in the collection. Was hooked and became a Charlie Parker fan after reading the first book “Every Dead Thing”. I love the characters of Lewis and Angel. They really bring something special to every story. The cases are unique and they always keep me guessing. I find you’re writing exceptional and fascinating. I hope these characters never disappear or fade away. Thank you John keep this series alive.

It’s another home run for John Connolly in his Charlie Parker series, the Burning Soul. As always, Charlie moves between reality and the supernatural effortlessly. This novel was not as dark as others, but still hinted at the paranormal/spirituality found in most of Connolly’s work.Connolly knows how to weave a tale that will keep you spell bound until the end. His main protagonist, Charlie Parker, is a flawed PI, that always gets the job done, even if he has to call in his support team of Louis and Angel and the Fulchi brothers. My only regret was that we didn’t see much of Louis and Angel in this storyline and so their intrinsic good-natured bickering was sorely missed as they provide great comic relief in what is usually a murky tale filled with dark specters.Connolly is one of the best writers in this genre and he knows how to use words in ways that would likely be found in great literature instead of suspense novels. His writing is truly mesmerizing and his storylines are always unique. You will never feel as though he writes formulaically like a lot of suspense writers lapse into as they churn out their assembly line books.While the Burning Soul is not my favorite of Connolly’s creations, it is still full of fleshed out characters, plot twists that you’ll never see coming, and a close inspection of the underbelly of human nature. Some will not like the crudeness of what Mr. Connolly creates and it will offend those with delicate sensibilities, but hang on thrill seekers—you will not be disappointed.One complaint—there were too many characters in this novel that had small roles but some seemed to blossom into someone meaningful in the end. For example: it took me a while to figure out who and why Walsh appeared in the end as a man on a mission when he really doesn’t have a role throughout the storyline beyond his name and title.If you don’t mind a little paranormal/supernatural in an otherwise excellently crafted thriller, then you will love John Connolly. Highly recommended.

If you haven't read this series of books you have missed out. The characters in this books are very well written and can make you shake with laughter.I recently gave one of the books to a friend to read who promptly bout all the others in the series. My mum buys the newest book for me every Christmas and I start reading it on Christmas Day.The books follow the same characters which is something that I like in books. You don't have to start at the beginning of the series but it is nice to. Highly recommend and you won't be disappointed.

Another successful novel in the Charlie Parker series, yet with a slightly different feel about it. It's a slow burner, very much so - takes a long time to get going and develop the different strands. And there's not much private-investigating, or detective-ing going on. Which means some fairly long passages of explanation are needed. Angel and Louis appear, but aren't that essential.I enjoyed the book, but felt it was just marking time. An episode in the series to keep us interested, keep us ticking over, but which doesn't take us much further on. It it would be unfair to give it three stars; but it only just scrapes four.

This is not a negative review at all but along with The Reapers this book is probably the least strong of the series. I guess it will come down to what you like this is one of the more conventional Parker thriller's. Although the elements of the supernatural when they occur are extremely chilling.As a book it does not add to the "mythology" of Parker in the same way a book like Black Angel or The Lovers does.Some of the twists and plotting are a little forced, the ending seems to come out of no where and some of the clues rely on the age old trick in detective novels of an anonymous tip. These are minor gripes and it is a good read.I have read 10 John Connolly novels in a row, they are all great, this one was just a little bit of a filler, but an entertaining, well written and enjoyable filler.

Harrowing hopeful twistyRiveting challenging meticulous plotRead thru the night page turnerGreat read for Charlie Parker fans as usual

More of a 'straight' thriller than usual from Connolly (though still seasoned with a touch of the supernatural), but nicely structured and with some good dialogue. Don't really understand the 1 and 2 star reviews, but they basically seem to object that there's not enough of Angel, Louis and the Fulci brothers. I like these characters too, but I don't feel that this novel suffers from their lack. To be honest, I think Connolly is right to have a light touch with them sometimes, and they didn't need to be centre stage in this one.There were some formatting issues, nothing major (slightly odd offsetting of the first character in each chapter) and one occasion where an entire paragraph was repeated, and I suspect actually replaced the one that was supposed to be there as the following piece of dialogue seemed out of context.Nonetheless, good, solid writing, and I shall continue to look forward to Connolly's books - he hasn't started to 'phone it in yet.